The Aeneid: A New Translation

Description

On his deathbed in 19 BCE, Vergil asked that his epic, the Aeneid, be burned. If his wishes had been obeyed, western literature - maybe even western civilization - might have taken a different course. The Aeneid has remained a foundational text since the rise of universities, and has been invoked at key points of human history - whether by Saint Augustine to illustrate the fallen nature of the soul, by settlers to justify manifest destiny in North America, or by Mussolini in support of his Fascist regime. In this fresh and fast-paced translation of the Aeneid, Shadi Bartsch brings the poem to the modern reader. Along with the translation, her introduction will guide the reader to a deeper understanding of the epic's enduring influence.

Shadi Bartsch is the Regenstein Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago. She is the author or editor of fourteen books on the ancient world and imperial roman literature, the most recent of which is Persius: A Study in Food, Philosophy, and the Figural, which won the 2016 Goodwin Award of Merit.

'Gripping ... A remarkable achievement' - Llewelyn Morgan 'This ambitious and successful translation is probably the best version of the Aeneid in modern English' - Professor Jim O'Hara, George L. Paddison Professor of Latin University of North Carolina 'A tight, readable translation with a welcome feminist outlook and savvy engagement with the poem's political and imperial themes' - Ada Palmer, author